How Porirua is helping

Porirua really is amazing. The sheer numbers of people offering to help in any way they possibly can really does give me a huge warm fuzzy feeling of pride for this city.

Immediately after news of the earthquake we had staff helping in the National Crisis Management Centre under the Beehive, including through the night, we also had staff helping coordinate the Wellington regional response from a base at the Wellington Emergency Management Office.

We've deployed a team of building inspectors to Christchurch as well as a team of our waterworks & drainage people.

Our Red Cross team has been helping at Wellington airport, helping the tourists caught in Christchurch to get home or just somewhere else, and a team of 8 of them are waiting on standby to head down to Christchurch.

And we've also had people helping out at the welfare centres in Wellington.

Go team!

Helplines, donations, blood donations, Red Cross enquiries

Government help line:
Call the Ministry of Social Development's Government help line 0800 779 997 for information about all government services and support.

Donations - please give cash not goods
People wanting to contribute to the response are encouraged to contribute financially ONLY. (No donations of goods or services at this time please).

Cash donations to:
Red Cross: http://www.redcross.org.nz/donate
Salvation Army: 0800 53 00 00 (Specify that your donation is for the ‘Canterbury Earthquake Appeal’)

Any ANZ Bank branch: Account number 01-1839-0188939-00
Any National Bank branch: Account number 06-0869-0548507-00
Any Westpac Bank branch: Account number 03-0207-0617331-00
Any ASB Bank branch: Account number 12-3205-0146808-00
Any BNZ Bank branch: Account number 02-0500-0982004-000
Any Kiwibank branch: Account number: 38-9009-0759479-00

In addition, a Mayoral Fund has been set up to accept donations to Chritstchurch citizens at the following BNZ bank account: 02-0800-084958-000

Blood Donations
NZ Blood has announced that the Christchurch Blood Donor Centre will be closed until further notice. They have good supplies of blood in Christchurch and have supplies they can bring in from other centres. At this stage blood stock are fine, but if the situation changesthey will inform people via their website (www.nzblood.co.nz) or via Facebook.

Red Cross Person Enquiry Line now activated
The New Zealand Red Cross Person Enquiry Line is now activated.

People in New Zealand concerned about the wellbeing of friends and relatives in Christchurch should call 0800 REDCROSS (0800 733 276).

If you are unable to contact a friend or relative in the Christchurch area, call the Red Cross Person Enquiry Line. Red Cross will be able to tell you if they have registered with Civil Defence. People are encouraged to do this before reporting friends and relatives missing.

People enquiring from outside New Zealand should call +64 7 850 2199

You can also email the Red Cross on nzrcneoc@redcross.org.nz

Go team!

A number of Kiwi volunteers are over in Australia helping out with the floods, including several from Hutt City, a couple from Wellington, and a colleague from HVEMO. They should bring back some useful information from their experiences, though we tend not to have to deal with snakes in our floodwaters around here!

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/4525570/Kiwi-team-in-Queensland-flood-zone